Scallops Fra Diavola

Publix has something in their seafood section called "scallops fra diavola" and it is pre-packaged, pre-prepared bay scallops with diced tomatoes, green peppers, onions, and seasoning. I picked up some the other day after a friend here in the harbor gave them a good review. They come with cooking instructions [bake, I believe.] that I quickly disregarded. I wanted to serve them them with a white sauce or a buerre blanc over pasta. It seems to me like a better idea than pouring jarred pork gravy on them as before mentioned friend said he was going to do.

Oh, and just so such a travesty could not occur, I made friend some white sauce for his scallops that he could take back to the boat and heat up.

And now, so friend can make his own sauce and put up the pork gravy...

[Step away from the gravy, Dave, and no one gets hurt...]

White Sauce:

First dice up some onions, celery, garlic, and carrots...how much depends on how many you are serving.

On medium-low heat saute diced veggies with a pat of butter & a splash of olive oil until soft.

<~~~Hey! I just found out that this has a name! Soffrito! I do this for a lot of recipes so it's nice to be able to call it something.

Next, add a bit of flour...1 tbl. for one serving, 2 tbls. for 2...

Stir.

Now stir in some milk...you could use cream, half & half, or whatever - I'm using skim because that's what I have. If using a heavier liquid I would cut the amount of flour or eliminate it all together. How much depends once again on how many you are serving. One serving 3/4 cup...2 servings a cup & 1/2...

Sauce will thicken as it starts to bubble, but keep it low - there's no need to bring to a hard boil.

If too thick, add more liquid.

Remove from heat and add parmesan cheese. Aprx. 1/4 cup for 1 serving...1/2 cup for 2...

Stir. Now season to taste.

When I removed the sauce from the heat, I actually dumped mine into a small bowl...just for the time being. Then I wiped the skillet, returned it to the burner, added a touch of olive oil, and then sauteed the scallops. Once the scallops were done, I returned the sauce back to the skillet and gave it just a minute or 2 to reheat. Just before serving, you should "mount" the sauce...sounds dirty, doesn't it? But, "mounting" the sauce or monter au buerre simply means that you add a bit of butter at the end...it adds flavor and improves the texture. Now pour over pasta and add a piece of garlic bread.

Next time, I think I'll pass on the pre-packaged "fra diavola" and just go for the bay scallops. The pre-packaged stuff has green peppers in it that I would prefer to leave out and because the scallops are wet with the "fra diavola" preparation, it's impossible to get a sear on the scallops. So, I'll be adding my own veggies and trying it again...but I might not have attempted my own if I hadn't tried the Publix version first.